The Elaborate Romantic
by Ronin201
Summary: On Valentine's Day, a young guitarist who attends Yagami High School looks to tell a girl how he feels. One-shot that contains OC x Canon. Written because sometimes I need a short break from military fiction and like to practice other genres of writing. The owners of School Rumble, Yamaha, Gibson, and I retain our respective rights


Ryu gently removed the bandages from his fingers, exposing the nearly-healed cuts. His hands weren't really much better, but that was to be expected when you played guitar like it kept you alive. Furthermore, he'd been practicing with every bit of his being for tonight. Tonight wasn't just about playing the song he'd been rehearing right; it was about making sure he got his message across to someone.

Ryu Itogara, a member of Yagami High School's Class 2-C, was about to do probably the boldest thing he'd done in his 16 years of life: confess to a girl. Not just any girl either, he was confessing to 2-C's female rep: Mai Ootsuka.

"I sure can pick em." He commented as he gathered some water in his hands to wash his face.

He'd known the girl with freckles and dark brown-hair since middle school, and it was probably because he'd been good friends with Yuuki Tsumugi (Mai's closest friend) that they became acquainted. She seemed to constantly be disciplining him and her other male friend, Nishimoto Ganji, because of various reasons. Nishimoto, who was a rather portly guy (and possibly the only competition the teenage guitarist had) always got her paper fan because of his thing for porn. Ryu got it for less obvious reasons: being too loud on his guitar, blowing out a speaker, being a smart-ass or slacker.

There was one case that he had speculations about, but nothing certain, and that was flirting with girls other than her (though that also warranted a smack). Maybe she was jealous? He laughed a little. Okay, now he was kinda entertaining his hopes with that idea. But it was still fun to see her get all flustered and blush, and Ryu found that actually pretty cute. Sometimes he would acknowledge passes from girls, but generally he tried not to take it farther than a smile or a few sentences of conversation.

Ryu finished his routine in the bathroom and walked back down the hall into his own room. He looked at the Yamaha acoustical guitar sitting against the wall then his snow-white Flying V, sitting inside its case. He mumbled a few song lyrics to himself as he grabbed the latter and zipped its protective container shut. He mumbled a few more lyrics.

"Tonight I throw myself in two, Out of the red, Out of her head she sang"

It was a little hard explaining exactly WHY he was in love with her. Most boys (including Mr. Nishimoto the Buddha himself) saw Mai as being too strict and loud. He was probably the only guy in 2-C who wanted to have at least one date. He couldn't really explain what besides her motherly ways and pretty looks appealed to him. Maybe he just liked a girl who had her act together. Maybe he was a masochist deep down in his mind.

The 16-year old dressed himself in his winter uniform, corralled his long hair into a short ponytail that was just above the nape of his neck and made his way downstairs with his guitar case and school bag. There was nothing remarkable about breakfast, listening to his little brother and little sister talk about things that were important to a pair of seven-year-old kids.

"I see your fingers healed." His mother observed.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, just took the bandages off this morning." He replied.

"So are you going to give anything to Ootsuka-chan? It is Valentine's Day." The woman added. Ryu simply shrugged and tried not to look to embarrassed about his Mom's question.

"Possibly, but I'm not sure if she would be comfortable with a potentially romantic advance." He mused as he gulped down a bite of egg.

"I didn't say it had to be romantic." Miss Itogara pointed out. Ryu did blush a little this time.

"That is true…" he admitted rather quietly.

"No, no, Oni-san! You have to do something romantic, isn't that what Valentine's Day is about?!" Aya, his sister, protested. Ryu looked over at her and couldn't help but stifle a laugh. His little brother Yuhei stuck his tongue out to convey he was still not very fond of the opposite sex.

"Yes, yes Imouto, just like in the TV dramas." He replied. She pouted a little.

"You should Oni-san! What if Mai wants you to?" She protested.

"Well then I guess I should then." He smiled.

Ryu bid his family farewell and left his home for Yagami High. Another cold day in Japan made him glad he was wearing a jacket. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked northwards. About a quarter of a mile down the street was the person of his discrete affections. He was surprised to see her, since he'd been going to school early the past few weeks to play guitar.

"Good morning Itogara-kun." She bowed.

"Morning Ootsuka-chan." He replied, returning the gesture.

"So what brings you here this early?" He asked.

"I have a student council meeting this morning and figured I would walk with you to school." She replied. Ryu let out a simple "Mmhmm."

"So do you think you'll get any love letters or chocolate today?" He added, trying to make up conversation.

"As long as it's not from our own class, I'm fine." She replied quickly. Ryu felt his heart sink a little.

"Why's that?" He asked.

"I swear ninety-five percent of the guys in our class are under Nishimoto-kun's perversion. They all seem more and more eager to get a girl, with the notable exceptions of Hiroyoshi-san, Haruki-san, Kentarou-san, Ooji-san and you." She vented in a low but annoyed tone.

"Ah, so I'm someone you actually see as a refined guy, eh?" He grinned. Inside he felt his heart rise a little again. She blushed herself and looked at him.

"Don't get me wrong, you're cocky, rebellious, and lazy…"

Ryu couldn't keep the grin off his face. She frowned until finally letting out a sigh.

"But you are determined and a gentleman and maybe that'll work in your favor today with some girl." Mai suggested.

_There's only one girl I want it to work in my favor with_ Ryu thought.

They reached the school where their friend Yuuki. Mai and she caught up on their usual subjects as they approached the shoe lockers. Ryu opened his locker and withdrew his school-issue shoes. He glanced over at Mai and cleared his throat.

"Hey look, I actually got something." He observed.

"From who?" Mai said rather loudly. She nearly shoved him out of the way to see what was in the small space.

"I was joking." He clarified with a wily grin. It earned him a punch to the chest before the brown-haired girl went back to her locker. While her back was turned, Ryu made eye contact with Yuuki.

"Hey Tsumugi-chan, I need to talk to you for a minute when she's gone." He mouthed silently. The bespectacled girl looked over at him, tilting her head curiously. Nonetheless she walked over to him, telling Mai she had to take care of other things before going to the classroom.

"What is it Itogara-kun?" She asked. He drew in a breath and shoved his hands into his jacket pockets.

"Did Ootsuka-chan agree to go?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yes, she's doing it reluctantly since she doesn't know though. I did have to tell her it was because you were playing, but I made it seem like we should go to support you as your friends."

Ryu nodded.

"So are you ready?" She asked.

"I think." He replied slowly.

"You think?" she replied with an unimpressed look.

"Hey cut me some slack, this isn't the culture festival or a talent show. I'm…you know…confessing to her." He protested.

"No, you have to be absolute. You screw this up and you might not get another chance, understand?" Yuuki said, speaking very firmly. He nodded.

"Good, now just be confident and be honest when you tell her how you feel. She prefers guys who're honest about themselves." She reminded him.

"Yeah, I just hope she has a soft spot for elaborate romantics." He added…

"I always like it when it's clear on cold nights." Yuuki said as they stared out the window. Mai simply nodded.

"Hey come on, just because nothing happened today doesn't mean you're gonna be alone forever." The bespectacled one comforted. _Come on Ryu, you're late_ she added mentally.

"Come on Yuuki-san, it's not like there's much of a selection in our class anyways." She muttered.

"You never know, the world can be mysterious.' Yuuki proposed.

"That sounds like something you'd hear from a fortune teller." Mai laughed. Yuuki smiled.

_Ping!_

The two flinched a little at the sudden noise, and then waited to see if it would happen again. The window was hit by a second pebble, sounding off a small pingbefore falling back to its natural place.

"Come on Ootuska-chan, open the freakin' window!" a voice said impatiently as she did just that. Mai wasn't impressed

"Itogara-kun, is that you?!" She nearly shouted.

"Yeah, yeah it's me." A familiar teenager called up.

Class 2-C's rep rolled her eyes as he came into view, wielding his acoustical guitar. Yuuki scooted back from the window to give Mai a full view.

"What are you doing out at this hour? It's freezing." Mai scolded pulling her robe a little tighter over her to keep warm. Ryu let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair.

"It's Valentine's Day Ootsuka-chan, and a guy's supposed to do something for the girl he loves." The ponytailed student responded. Mai's expression went blank.

"Wait, Yuuki-san should be at the window.' She said, stumbling over her words.

"Mai, I'm not here for Tsumugi-chan." He clarified.

Mai was feeling a little uncomfortable, but not in a bad way. She wasn't seeing the usual Ryu who teased her. He…he was being serious. Her friend cleared his throat and made sure his guitar was tuned before he began to strum. The rhythm was simple and calm, and she was able to recognize the lyrics as those of "Everlong" by the Foo Fighters. She kept quiet for the duration of the tune, at a loss for legitimate thought or how to react.

Ryu stopped and stared up at her. Even in the dark, his face felt hot as he waited some sort of response. She avoided eye contact and played with her hair tentatively. It seemed like centuries before any words finally left her mouth.

"Meet me at the front door."

Ryu nodded eagerly and nearly ran around to the respective side of the house. He wondered if her parents were home…that'd be awkward if they were listening. He straightened up and waited until the knob let off a metallic click. Mai appeared before him in the doorway.

"I can't let you come in since my parents aren't home, so I suggest you go home…" she began. Ryu gave her a puzzled look. She glanced back to ensure Yuuki wasn't present, and then looked at him. With swift movements she pulled Ryu's lips to hers. Ryu became stiff as she closed her eyes, and after a minute mad the bold move to hold her. They took their sweet time until the young woman pulled away.

"I hope that'll keep you warm, Ryu-kun. That was…I'm really happy you did that." She whispered sheepishly.

"I'm glad you liked it. Maybe tomorrow I'll come by and play another song for you." He replied, trying to sound suave. She threw back her head and laughed.

"Don't try to be Rico Suave, it's not you at all." She said. He blushed and she kissed him once more.

"Now, go home before you catch a cold." She instructed in an affectionate tone. He nodded and turned away, hurrying off into the night. She watched him go and felt a little dizzy as she settled down to grasp the fact Ryu'd just confessed to her. She heard a loud howl in the darkness.

"HELL YEAH!"

She giggled and went back inside.


End file.
